Confessions of a Turtle-Obsessed Teenage Girl
by carameltootsieroll
Summary: For years, Nikki has been denying the fact that she has ever been a TMNT fan, denying the fact that she has ever been obsessed with Leo, Donny, Raph, and Mikey. With her new-found identity, she thinks she can keep her geeky past a secret. At least that's what she thinks…What Nikki doesn't know is that once she leaves her heart in the Turtle's sewer, it stays there forever.
1. An Ambush in the Alleyway

**A/N: _Hey guys! Here's a little fanfic I wrote about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This fic was inspired by some recent events in my own life, though I declare all events, names, and places to be fictional. The Turtles themselves come in the second chapter, so I hope you guys stick around for that! Enjoy!_**

**Disclaimer:** _**I do NOT own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the TMNT 2003 series, or the comics!**_

Have I really left my heart back at the Turtle's sewer?

_Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles._

Wow, it has been quite some time.

I blink again, trying to place myself back in reality. I have just finished re-watching around 10 episodes of the TMNT 2003 series today. _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…_

I stand up from my computer seat, taking a deep breath to clear my head and to calm my racing heart. What is wrong with me? Surely it can't be my childhood obsession coming back, right? My heart was a slave for those four turtles back when I was merely 9 years of age. But I'm not a kid anymore. My ninja turtle-crazy heart should have matured.

It _should have matured. _However, as I glance back at my computer screen, I think that I have every right to believe that my turtle-crazy heart has _not _matured.

"Oh shells," I mutter as my legs find themselves walking back towards the computer seat, my hands taking a mind of their own as my fingers fly across the keyboard. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," they type, and I cringe at my childishness.

A bunch of fan websites come up, along with some images of the butt-kicking turtles. Leo, with his blue bandana and katana; Mickey, his orange bandana atop his eyes, nunchucks in hand. Aah, and Donatello. I have to admit he was sort of my favourite turtle back when I was younger. The picture I come across now shows him mid-jump, his bo staff gripped in his leathery, reptilian hands. And Raphael, oh Raph. Forever enraged, this turtle seemed to be.

I sigh, remembering the times when I used to wait for TMNT to air on television. I would block off all activities that happened to fall on 5:00 pm. Oh that holy hour.

I am so caught-up in a childhood-reminiscing daze that it takes me a few moments to realize that my phone is ringing.

"He-hello?" I answer.

"Nikki! What time do we meet up?"

I suck in a breath. Oops…am I forgetting something?

"Nikki?"

"Lindsey! Hey, um, I'll meet you in the lobby in a bit." I was a horrible liar. How could I forget about the Halloween Party happening tonight? I had promised Lindsey that I would help her pick a costume out that would "make her look nice in front of Austin". Austin, yes, _the_ Austin Kirk. The most popular football player at Manhattan High was Lindsey's date for tonight. After years and years of crushing on him, she was finally going to be able to be his girl for one night.

I give my computer screen a tentative glance. The four turtles still cover most of the screen in their ninja poses. My heart flutters a bit. Despite Lindsey and I planning this night weeks before (as this was actually going to be our official first high school party), I am tempted to stay home. Fanfiction and Ninja Turtle marathons suddenly sound so much better…

"Hello?" Lindsey's voice comes again. "You keep spacing out. What's wrong?

"Nothing's wrong," I lie. I stand up and rush to my closet. It takes great effort to stand up from my computer chair and walk away from the turtles on my screen. "I'll be over there in a jiffy, really!"

I hear Lindsey sigh from the other end of the line. "You promised to come over early to help me get ready! Fine, whatever. Party's at 7:00! I'll meet you at the lobby!"

"Lobby, got it!" I reply, and look up at my desk clock. It reads six-thirty. Thirty minutes 'till the party… I hang up and continue to grab all my things.

I pull out my Halloween costume from my closet. It consists of skinny faded out denim jeans and an equally tight black tank top. I have a pair of boots and fairy wings to match. I bite my lower lip. To be quite honest, I have never, ever gone to an actual high school party. My parents aren't in the to-blame list, them not being as strict as Lindsey's parents. Nor am I like my other classmates who have such busy after-school sports and arts trainings that they don't have the time for petty parties. Nope, the problem in fact, is me. I am a natural wallflower.

I face my dresser and take my glasses off, before reaching into my drawer to pull my contact lenses out. Over the years, I have learned to fix my outer appearance. I was one hell of a nerd back in my childhood days with full mornings spent buried in my collection of Nancy Drew books, full afternoons spent in front of the computer or TV. But as soon as I turned thirteen, I realized that things couldn't stay that way forever.

When I was thirteen, the TMNT series suddenly stopped showing on TV. I was devastated, but I couldn't do anything. I was eventually drawn towards reality shows and sitcoms that were more appropriate for my age as a teenager than geeky cartoons. I was exposed to the outside world; a harsh reality that dissed geeks for not being cool enough. It soon hit me that, I was one of those people. I was that girl that wore hoodies instead of summer dresses. That girl who would rather stay at home and read than go to parties. That girl who just wasn't cool enough.

I began to see everything that was wrong with me, instead of everything that was right.

Books were soon stowed away, replaced by ever-trusty cell phones that connected me to the outside world. TV and internet time were lessened, and I found myself hanging out with more and more friends.

Sure, I would allow the nerd in me to make its occasional appearance (as it had just did today), but it would simply fade back again. Soon enough, nerdy, geeky, stay-at-home Nikki was just a legend. Outgoing, class-topping, sociable Nikki became my new identity.

Identity or mere façade, you decide. But to be honest, I'm still unsure of what to feel about the "new Nikki".

I sigh as I glance back at my reflection in the mirror, contact lenses now replace my round-rimmed glasses, make- up is caked all over my face. I force a smile, but I hardly feel any giddy emotion about what I see in the mirror.

Is this really me? Is this really Nikki, the girl that had once been a geek? The girl who had once been an avid, die-hard Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan? I see none of that in the mirror. Instead, I see a Barbie doll look-alike. Fake as plastic in every way.

I sigh. I am a changed person, but why doesn't my new identity make me happy?

I am ready and dressed twenty minutes later in my outfit, just minus the wings. My fairy wings and flower circlet are stuffed in my purse. I take one more look in the mirror before heading out my apartment door. My parents have left on a business meeting, but I don't feel guilty leaving for a late night high school party. They are the ones, after all, encouraging me to put down my books once in a while and "enjoy life". "Oh Mom, Dad, I hope I do enjoy tonight," I mutter as the elevator brings me to the ground floor. It dings open at the lobby a minute later. I step out onto the newly-polished marble floors, looking for my best friend.

The lobby isn't anything too grand actually, despite the crystal chandelier that hangs from the ceiling, nor the velvet couches that are scattily–arranged around the circular room. If one were too look closely at the furniture, one would see that they aren't in such good condition after all. Appearance sometimes confuses with reality. Cobwebs dangle from the crystals, and the velvet armchairs are filled with patches to cover up holes. The marble floor too, is cracked in a few places, stained here and there.

I listen to the sound of my boots against the floor as I steal a glance out the glass windows of the lobby. The streets are heavy with the traffic of both pedestrians and cars. It's a Friday night, and these sights are normal in Manhattan.

"Hey," a voice calls. I instinctively turn around and come face-to-face with a teenage boy in a gray hoodie and jeans. He gives me a small smile before walking over. "Uhh..is Lindsey here et?" he asks, and I notice that despite his cool and calm outer appearance, his voice quavers at the mention of Lindsey's name.

I try to untangle my tongue. Sure, Lindsey has had a crush on Austin since she we were both in seventh grade, but it still wasn't an everyday occurrence to have one of the school's hottest boys talk to you. At the moment, I wish Lindsey were here already. She is great at talking to males. "Hey Austin! Well, she said that she'd meet us at the lobby—" I am interrupted by a sharp, shrill squeak. I don't have enough time to process what is going on, as something grabs me by the wrist and the next thing I know, I am shoved out the glass lobby doors. Austin is right beside me, looking just as surprised. "Wha-"

"Ssshh!" Lindsey orders us, a finger to her lips. She pulls us along the sidewalk quickly and we stop just in front of a small coffee shop beside a dark alleyway. In the twilight, I can see Lindsey's emerald green eyes shining. "That was so damn close," she mutters, shaking her head so that a few strands of her blonde hair fall out of her messy bun.

"What was that?" Austin asks. He has an amused grin on his face. Lindsey squints into the distance behind him and gasps again. She grabs us and pulls us into the dark alleyway before we can protest.

"My mom is a bit strict," Lindsey winces, avoiding Austin's eyes. Color floods her cheeks. "She's not too keen on me going to parties, or wearing things like…" her voice trails off and she puts her head up to show us. She is wearing a little black dress and matching stilettos. Eyeliner lines her eyes and lip gloss tints her lips.

I hear Austin suck in a breath from beside me. His cheeks are almost the same shade as Lindesy's. "You look really pretty, Lindsey," he chokes.

Lindsey laughs a little. "Thanks," she replies, and I feel her stiletto heel slamming down on my boots…a –painful – signal only a best friend would understand. Lindsey's plan was working.

"What are you supposed to be anyway?" I ask Lindsey, clearing my throat to break the awkward silence.

"A witch," Lindsey says, and slips on a star-studded purple hat."

Austin pulls out a black cloth from the pocket of his hoodie. "Um, I found this stuffed in my closet. I knew not throwing it away would be good." He slips the cloth over his head, over his eyes.

"A ninja?" The question come tumbling out of my mouth even before I can compose myself. Oops.

Austin nods, his shaggy black hair following the movement of his head. "I've always wanted to be a ninja," he confesses, his right hand reaching up to scratch his head awkwardly.

My eyes feel like they are going to pop right through my skull. Is he a Ninja Turtle fan too? Did he watch all the episodes? Did he read all the comic books? Who is his favourite turtle?

But luckily – or should I say, unluckily – my best friend speaks up for me. "Please excuse Nikki here," she says. "She may or may not fall into an anxiety attack after hearing that you are a Ninjitsu fanatic too."

My cheeks burn. There goes my reputation. "Don't believe-" I protest, but Austin interrupts me. "It's alright," he says. I look up and see him smile. "I understand."

His voice is cool and calm, and I find myself exhaling in relief. Austin, the most popular boy in school, totally understands me. My geekiness, my ninja-craziness, my TMNT obsession.

"Come on, let's get to the par-" a slimy, leathery _thing_ suddenly wraps around Austin's waist. "What the-" he mutters before the slimy limb squeezes at him and drags him into the darkness.

Lindsey and I wait in anxious silence for a few seconds before I break it. "What just happened?" I ask, willing my voice not to shake. Goosebumps creep up my arm. Lindsey's big, scared eyes don't help my emotions either.

"I-I d-don't kn-now," she stammers. A low growl begins to echo throughout the alleyway. Lindsey and I instinctively back up towards the street. The growl grows fiercer, more feral. Then all of a sudden, Austin stumbles out into the light. He falls onto the gravel and groans.

"Oh my God." Lindsey cups a hand over her mouth. She starts towards Austin's limp form, but I hold her back. "Don't," I warn her. From where we stand, I can see red slashes on Austin's gray hoodie sleeve. The look like claw marks to me. My stomach contracts. What could possibly have hurt him? A human couldn't have scratched him that horribly.

"RAAAWRR!"

I gulp and look up. My question seems to have been answered.

"Nikki, please tell me that's not…a freaking…"

"That's a freaking monster alright," I finish for her.

Right in front of us stands a ten-foot tall reptile, and possibly, our deaths.

**A/N: _So what do you guys think of it? Tell me! Read and review! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! Second chapter might be up in a few days, depending on how far I get with this chapter. Yaay please click that review button! I would love to hear from all of you! :D_**


	2. Fiction to Reality

**A/N: **_**Here's the second chapter! The Turtles themselves make their appearance here, so I hope you guys enjoy! Please do leave me a review! It would really, really, really make my day! **_

**Disclaimer:**_** I do not own the Ninja Turtles (sadly. Huhuh, I wish I did!) But I do, however, own all original characters in this story.**_

Lindsey and I do the best possible thing that girls our age can do when faced with such hideous, scary things: we scream.

"What the hell is _that_?" Lindsey yells as we back up towards the street. We are facing a gigantic reptile. Standing about ten feet tall, its stink is just as powerful and intimidating. Its skin is a shade of dark green and the set of teeth that it flashes to us look sickeningly sharp. Frothy, green liquid foams at its mouth, and its silted eyes regard us with lean hunger. If we don't make a run for it now, we could possibly be this monster's dinner.

Wait, hold up. Monster? In the first place, why is there a monster roaming the alleyways of Manhattan? My heart hammers wildly against my chest, but an entirely different emotion now runs through my veins.

The creature snaps at us and Lindsey and I narrowly miss its crocodile-like jaws. "We need to get out of here! But…we can't leave Austin." Lindsey's eyes are wide, her voice shakes. I can almost see the gears turning in her head as they always do whenever she gets in a tricky situation due to her rebellious nature.

But my own mind is running on overdrive too. The monster that attacked Austin looks vaguely familiar. But obviously that creature had to come from fantasy…a book? A comic book? A TV show?

Then it suddenly hits me.

Damn. That monster was from the TMNT 2003 series. My childhood series.

"Nikki, watch out!" Lindsey screams. I look up and see the monster's heavy, reptilian arm coming at me. The monster's arm swings at my abdomen and my lungs suddenly feel empty. I feel weightless for a second before I crash down onto the gravel of the alleyway, right side first. My arms reach out to cushion my fall but I later learn that skin and hard pavement are not a good combination. My right arm burns with the friction of my landing.

"Stop hurting my friends!" Lindsey screams again. I look up at her. My best friend's hair has come undone from its ponytail. Streaks of dirt and grime are all over her face. Miraculously however, her dress still seems to be in good partying condition.

Lindsey picks up a broken bottle on the floor and holds it out in front of her like a bat. She runs in front of Austin's body and stands over it. "You'd have to go through me if you want my friends!" she taunts the creature.

"Lindsey!" I warn her as I struggle to get up.

"Seriously, punk," she continues. She stands her ground as the monster advances slowly. "I'm tougher than I look!"

If the situation wasn't as dangerous as it is now, I swear, I think I would have laughed.

"RAAWRR!" The monster charges, directly at Lindsey. She stands still, broken bottle held up in front.

"Get out of there, Lindsey!" I yell. She seems oblivious to it all, petrified by her own fear. I close my eyes and turn my head. This is the part where my best friend dies. This is it. I can't look.

"Raph! Get the blonde girl!" a familiar voice orders.

"Got her!"

"Donny, cover me up front. I'll attack from behind."

"But what about the boy?"

"I need to kill that monster first. Mickey, grab the other girl! Bring them to safety, guys!"

"Cowabunga!"

I feel a strong, muscular, and not to mention – leathery arm – grab me by the waist. The floor seems to disappear from under my feet. Wind whistles in my ears and I feel weightless. "What the…" I mutter and open my eyes. I look down. Oops, wrong move. I see that we are probably ten feet up in the air and coming back down real quick to a rooftop of a building.

"Holy shells," I gasp.

"Whoa kid, you alright?" Mickey asks. His leathery arms are still wrapped tight around my waist; cool air still whips at my undone hair.

No way. No way. No way. Okay? I am far from being okay.

I take one last deep breath to stop myself from hyperventilating. "You guys are…_real_!"

Mickey snorts. "Of course we're real!" I feel weightless once more as we launch up into the air again. We are probably jumping from building top to building top, my best guess. Not that I am surprised, of course. When, really, have I expected a Ninja Turtle _not_ to jump around the skyline of Manhattan in dangerous fashion?

"This is wicked!" I yell, adrenaline at its peak.

"Nothing wickeder than thi – "

CRASH!

The rushing, whistling of the wind past my ears suddenly stop. A ringing sensation quickly replaces it. I blink and try to steady my vision. I hear Mickey groan beside me. Footsteps echo around us. With the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I find my fists automatically balling up, ready to hit anything that threatens me.

A figure shrouded in shadow kneels next to me. "You oka – "

I swing a punch at the figure, who blocks my amateur attempt with a swipe of his arm. My punch deflects right off his taut arm. "Whoa, easy there," he chuckles. I realize that I am hearing Donatello's voice.

"Holy shells," I mutter. Donatello offers me his leathery turtle hand and I take it, willing my fingers not to tremble. My head throbs and my arm still stings.

"You look pretty shaken up," he notes. I open my mouth to reply, but no words come out.

Mickey groans again and stirs. "Crazy, random, concrete wall," he mumbles, rubbing his shoulder.

"I told you to bring her to safety, Mickey. Not to ram yourselves into a wall." Leonardo comes into view. His voice rolls with the night air; cool and quiet, yet cold and mysterious.

"Well, what would you expect? It's Mickey," Raphael says, grinning wickedly at his brother.

"I kept her safe, alright," Mickey argues. "I think ramming into a wall is way better than getting eaten by pet iguana mutants." He flexes his left shoulder and winces. "I think I need pizza," he moans.

"Pizza sounds great," I quip. It is the first thing I say out loud and all four turtles spin on me, including Lindsey. Her eyes are the size of dinner plates, her mouth shut in a thin line. Austin is still lying unconscious next to her. "Pizza sounds great," I repeat, looking from turtle to turtle. They stare back at me, and I shake my head. My stupid big mouth.

"Guys, we should sneak out while she isn't looking. 1..2.." Michelangelo whispers, but Raphael smacks his head.

"Hey!" Mickey yells. "What was that for?"

"You're too obvious Mickey," Raphael scolds.

"Look kid," Donatello sighs as he grips his staff. "I think you and your friends should try to forget what happened tonight. We're sorry we weren't able to kill that monster off before it attacked you guys, and I hope you guys don't have nightmares tonight. We also try our best not to let mortals know of our existence, besides our friends April and Casey. So now that you know…" he clears his throat and looks at his brothers.

"We're the Teenage – "

"I know who you guys are," I interrupt Leo. "You guys are the freaking Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

Mickey's eyes are wide and white. "Did she just call us the _freaking Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_?"

"Yeah she did," Lindsey speaks up. She still looks pretty dazed, but she stands up and walks up to me. "My best friend Nikki, is probably your biggest fan. She's been watching the TMNT series since she was eight or something."

"It's a long story," I desperately try to explain. Here I am in front of my childhood idols, and yet I am tongue-tied, at a loss for words. I have a bad feeling that I am ruining a once in a lifetime chance. Heat rises up to my cheeks.

I see Leo glance at the floor, then back up to his brothers. "A long story that we would love to hear over pizza and soft drinks," Leo concludes. His brothers nod in unison, except for Mickey, who is still gawking at me.

"We're inviting them to the sewer?" he asks. "But… but… but…"

Donny laughs. "No buts, Mickey. Don't you want to hear a story about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?"

* * *

"Does it feel better?"

"Yeah," I reply, testing out my bandaged arm. As soon as we reached the Turtles' lair, Donny fixed up my wounded arm and gave me ice for my bonked up head. Mickey helped Lindsey, whose hands were bleeding from holding the broken glass bottle. Master Splinter, who was surprised at our appearance at first, later on warmed up and offered water to the now-conscious Austin.

"Thanks, Donny," I say just as the purple-loving turtle stands up.

"No problem," he says, smiling. "You know, if you ran from the monster right away, you wouldn't have sustained these injuries." Donatello's tone is unreadable, calm and collected. I can't tell right away if he is scolding me for holding my ground, or praising me for my bravery.

"We couldn't leave Austin," I say and watch Donatello's expression. A small smile crawls onto his leathery turtle face.

"Sounds very much like our code of brotherhood here at the Sewer. We never leave a friend behind, we never leave each other. It doesn't matter if we all know how to fight, if we all know how to kick-butt. If a friend is in need, we're not leaving them."

Then I know that he isn't scolding me. He approves of Lindsey and my bravery. We didn't leave Austin behind. "I've always wanted to learn some Ninjitsu moves," I blurt out. Oops, my big mouth again.

Donatello laughs as he helps me up. "I think you'd make a great martial artist. Come on; let's head over to the living room."

I follow him in a daze, my fingers absently tugging at the cloth that wraps my wound up. My stupid mouth, always blurting out what my brain thinks. I sigh and walk on, forcing my mind to think of other things.

Am I really in the Turtles' sewer? I take a sniff…okay, yes, I am. The foul stench of Manhattan underground is enough to prove that I am awake and not dreaming.

Since when has reality been better than a dream? Since now, I guess. I don't think there is anything better than being in my most dreamed of place.

"…and I swear I was so scare – oh hey! Nikki's here!" Lindsey waves at me from the couch. Austin sits beside her, a bandage wrapped around his forehead and another one on his arm. Leo and Raph are standing behind the couch, listening passively. On the couch across them are Casey and April, looking amused as Lindsey relates the events of that night. Typical Lindsey. She has always been pretty sociable and friendly, easily winning the attention of people. She enjoyed the attention, the spotlight. I, however, am the complete opposite. I almost feel nauseated as the small audience turns towards me. "Hi," I manage.

April waves me over to sit beside her, and I walk over. "Lindsey was just telling me about tonight. You guys were attacked by a mutant?"

"Yep. One of those monsters that mutated from Dr. Stockman's formula," Raph spoke up. "The same kind of mutant that…um…" he paused awkwardly and looked at Donny.

"Yeah, that same mutagen infected me a few months back," Donatello says. He forces a smile, though I can see the uneasiness in his eyes.

"I watched that episode," I murmur. April turns towards me. "What was that?" she asks. Though her tone is kind, I hesitate.

"I -I watched that episode," I say, and glance at Donatello. He regards me with a sad smile. "That episode when Donny double-mutated. Donny, did you really double-mutate? Or was that just all fiction…"

"It was real, alright," Leonardo says solemnly.

"I'm glad it's over," April says, the smile on her face wavering.

Donny runs a hand over his face. "I'm sorry guys, I really am."

"Don't apologize bro," Raph says, patting Donatello's shell. "We're through with that conversation. We're just happy we're all back here in the sewer, safe and sound."

April holds her hands up. "Wait just one sec guys," she says. She looks to Austin. "Did the mutant give you a cut? Because if any part of your body was deeply wounded by the mutant…"

Austin shakes his head. "It just kinda suffocated me, but the scrapes I got were from me getting dragged across the pavement."

Donatello nods.

"I don't get it," Austin speaks up. "I mean, you guys are obviously real. I can see you and all, but do those comic books and TV cartoons really follow your lives?"

The three turtles look at each other. "Well, we have heard of those stuff from Casey and April," Leonardo says. "We don't really know how our stories get out to the world because to be honest, we've never actually interacted with any other human being besides April and Casey and of course Dr. Stockman and a few of the other 'villains'."

"It's crazy if you think about it," he goes on. "We're supposed to be Shadow Warriors, no one knowing about us, but here you three are."

I can't exactly read Leo's tone, but I find myself putting my head down guiltily. "Hey, you're making them feel bad," Casey exclaims. "They're supposedly your biggest fans, guys. They appreciate what you guys do."

Donatello plays with his staff nervously as the conversation begins to heat up.

"They appreciate what we do on TV," Raph snorts. Anger builds inside me. Why are the Turtles acting like this? Shouldn't they be a lot nicer? My chest feels heavy. All those years of slaving over the TMNT fandom, and at this moment that I actually get to meet them, they act as if they don't want me and my friends here.

"I appreciate what you guys do," I say. I try to control my voice. "You guys saved us tonight. And even if I learned about you guys through the TV, through the comics that I've read, I've had a feeling that you save us every night too. You guys protect the city of Manhattan, the place that I live in. I'm more than thankful."

I see Donatello smile from the corner of my eye. "Leo, Raph, stop being so harsh. Nikki has every right to appreciate what we do." He shares a small smile with me.

"PIZZA'S HERE!" Michelangelo comes in carrying two ginormous boxes of pizza. He pops down on the floor and opens a box. "Dig in everyone!"

April hands me a slice and I take it with a thank you. I find myself sighing as I look around the sewer. I am eating pizza, here in the Turtle's Sewer, with the actual Turtles!

"What about the Halloween Party?" Lindsey suddenly asks.

"What party?" Mickey asks, suddenly interested.

Lindsey opens her mouth tentatively before finally saying, "My friends and I were originally headed to a high school Halloween party before we got ambushed by that monster."

"Oooh, sounds like fun!" April says. Lindsey nods at her. "You could come if you want to! And…oh…" she stops mid-sentence, probably realizing that the Turtles were also staring at her eagerly.

Austin pumps his fistful of pizza in the air. "Got it! The Turtles could come. It's a costume party anyway. No one would notice that you guys are…actual turtles!"

"Sounds like fun!" Mickey says and looks to his brothers for approval. "Whatcha guys think?"

"We don't get a chance like this every night. I say we go for it," Leo shrugs.

"Wow, my first high school party, and I'm bringing a lot of friends," Lindsey giggles excitedly. "I think this night is gonna rock!"

Leo nods in my direction, an apologetic smile on his turtle face. I smile back. Lindsey seems to be right. With my friends and the Turtles by my side for my first high school party, I also had a feeling that this night would most definitely rock.

**A/N: **_**So, whatcha guys think of it? Tell me by leaving me a review! Thanks guys! :D**_


	3. Forever and Always

_**A/N:**_** Hi guys! I'd just like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed my story! I really enjoy replying personally to your reviews, so if you can, it would be better if you could log-in when you review so that I can reply to you personally! **

**Some shout-outs:**

**To the guest, **_**Raph is mine**_**, thank you! :)**

**To the guest, **_**RandomNinja**_**, thank you for your review! High-five. My ninja-obsession has always been a secret too! And I'm sorry if I can't live up to your expectation for this third chapter…you'll see. But I do promise an epilogue, and maybe, just, maybe, you will get your desired ending in the sequel fanfic!**

_**FilmGeek-BookNerd12**_**, thank you for reviewing, favoriting, and following my story!**

**l_iqufiedflames _(I can't put your entire pen name because the site won't let me!) thank you for favoriting and following my story! **

_**SakuraDagger15**_** thank you for following my story!**

**And here, without furthermore ado, the third chapter!**

_**DISCLAIMER:**_** I do not own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!**

Ten minutes later, I have my wings and floral circlet on and Austin is wearing a Ninja attire courtesy of the Turtles. Lindsey has her hat and a broom to complete her with costume. Casey and April are ready as…Casey and April from TMNT, and the Turtles are dressed as…themselves.

"Alas, another party," Master Splinter says when he sees us ready. He walks over to me, slowly, but with the confidence of a well-trained Shadow Warrior. "You are one of the few humans who are blessed to get to know my sons. Do not abuse this power, young one." I feel petrified, my boots stuck to the ground, but I manage a polite nod. Master Splinter really does give off the aura of a respectable sensei.

I get ready to follow my friends out the sewer but Master Splinter takes hold of my good arm. "Nikki," he says, and I get a little thrill at the thought that old, wise, Sensei Splinter knows my name. "_'Stay true to yourself and it will set you free; keep your lies and in captivity you will be.'_ You have a great journey ahead of you, young one. Use your strengths, work on your weaknesses, grow, change…but never forget who you are."

I blink. Man, that is deep stuff. "Thank you, Master," I say.

"Now go enjoy yourself." And with that he nods to me and turns around.

Mickey is suddenly beside me. "Hey ninja-in-training," he teases. "What was that lecture all about? Are you grounded for the night?"

"No," I reply, still in a daze. Master Splinter's voice rings in my brain. _Never forget who you are. Never forget who you are. Never forget who you are. _

"You alright?" Mickey asks, a bit more concerned now. I wave him off. "Yes I am. Come on, let's party!"

* * *

"1122," Leonardo announces as we stand in front of a small building down a quiet road. "This is the place, isn't it?"

Casey whistles under his breath. "Your friend seems rich. This entire lot is hers?"

"Technically, her family's," Lindsey corrects.

My heart flutters in my chest. This is it. My first high school party, an event I had supposedly been looking forward to. I should be excited, filled with expectation and smiles. But instead, I feel nervous. What Master Splinter had said was now wracking my brain. A few hours ago, I had almost admitted wanting to stay at home to read fanfiction about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I had wanted to keep my round-rimmed glasses on, my thick hoodie instead of my skin-baring tank top. _Never forget yourself._ But I had forgotten the real Nikki. The real Nikki was at home, buried in books and fanficion, comfy in her thick hoodie and glasses.

"You okay?" Lindsey asks me. Her green eyes bore into me.

"Yeah," I lie.

"I'm nervous too," Lindsey admits. I stare at her but she just shrugs. "Of course I can read you. You're my best friend." We share a smile just as the front door swings open.

From where I stand outside, I can see that the party venue is dark and filled with loads of people. I suck in a breath as we walk under the spooky alcove that decorates the front door. Magically, our classmate Nina's house has become a haunted mansion.

Fog wisps around our feet and all I see are distant silhouettes of my friends. Mummified corpses and jack-o-lanterns hang from all over the place. A few Christmas lights covered in cobwebs and spiders offer some light.

"Hey! You guys are here!" Nina calls as she weaves through the dense crowd to reach us. She is wearing a short black tulle skirt and a leather jacket over a tight black tank top. Just looking at how high her stilettos are makes me dizzy. "Lindsey, Nikki, Austin! Welcome to my haunted house. Oh…" her voice trails off as she studies us. "Are you guys okay? You look like you've just come off the battle field or something! Or are those bandages just a part of your costumes?"

I look down at my arm, which is still bound in a clean white bandage. A few scratches are on my face. Austin looks the same, except with a bandage around his head. Lindsey's hands are coated in some menthol-smelling balm to ease the pain of her wounds. I laugh. "Nina, I think these are part of our costume."

Nina grins. "Alright, if you say so. Step in, step in. How does the place look?"

Austin nods in approval. "Neat party," he says and wraps an arm around Lindsey. Lindsey grins widely.

"Oh, and…um, your friends, I suppose?" Nina asks when she sees the Turtles, Casey, and April standing behind us. Nina raises an eyebrow. "The whole cast of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Not bad!" April shares a knowing look with Casey, who mutters something inaudible. Nina looks our way again. "And if they are the Ninja Turtles…are you three like, the humans they saved or something?"

A look passes between our group. Nina was pretty much guessing accurately. Fantasy to her was fact to us.

"Yeah, they're our friends," I say. "This is Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Casey, and April. And I guess you can say that."

Nina laughs. "Oh, so they prefer to go by their character names? Suits me. Anyway, just head over to the bar if you guys want drinks. There's food over at the table to our left, the dance floor is down the center." We follow Nina's directions with our eyes. "And now we're playing some upbeat party music, but we'll slow it down later for some…well if you guys wanna slow dance or something." She winks at Lindsey and Austin.

"Anyone want drinks?" Casey asks and walks over to the bar with April. Lindsey and Austin walk over to the food table. I gulp, realizing that I am left with four butt-kicking, Ninjitsu-trained, destructive, teenage turtles.

"Hey Nikki," Leo says and comes up beside me. "We're sorry about earlier. Raph and I didn't mean to judge you harshly. I hope you're not disappointed in us."

Raphael stands awkwardly beside him until Leonardo elbows him. "Ow! What the shells, Leo?"

"Apologize, Raph," his brother orders.

"Yeah, what Leo said," Raph finally says. "We're sorry."

I look back and forth between the two turtle brothers. Leo has a small, sad smile on his face; Raph's face is blank as it is when he is serious. "Apology accepted," I laugh. "I'm just really, really, really glad to have met you guys. Really."

"So this is what it feels like to have fans, eh?" Raph says.

Leo punches him again. "I think it would be better to have Nikki as a friend than a fan," he says. He looks at me. "I saw Master Splinter talking to you before we left. What was that about?"

The music flares up and people around us scream and shout. I pick up the beat and vaguely guess that the song playing is _Dance Dance _by Fall Out Boy. "Yeah, he seemed pretty serious," Raph yells over the loud music.

We walk over to a corner near the food table. The music is a bit muffled here, yet still loud. "He told me that I was blessed with this chance to meet you guys, and he also told me a quotation of some sort," I say. "_'Stay true to yourself and it will set you free; keep your lies and in captivity you will be.'_"

Leo and Raph share a look, information seems to pass between the brothers' eyes.

"What is it?" I ask. Leo turns to me, a small smile on his face.

"Only fate can tell us why you we were given the chance to meet each other," Leo begins, but Raph shakes his head, exasperated.

"Just get on with the facts Leo! No more cheesiness."

"Fine, fine, alright." Leo takes a breath and starts again. "Master Splinter told me, just before you left, that you would find your way back to the sewer again, just as you had in the past. I didn't get it, but now I think I do. "

I raise an eyebrow up at him and Raph laughs. "No can do, bro. You're still way too cheesy for her."

"What do you mean 'find my way back to the sewer'?" I ask. It feels almost like a rhetorical question to me, as if I already know the answer, but do not have the words to put my thoughts into.

"You said that you've known us, the Turtles, since you were a kid. You know us now, you just met us personally – er, turtley – a few hours ago. And you'll meet us again in the future. I think Master Splinter means that once you enter the Turtle Sewer, you'll never actually leave."

To any normal person, Leo's speech might have been a bit unsettling. Never leaving a sewer…what? But I think I get it. What he says hits me right in the gut. Even what Master Splinter has lectured me on complements what Leonardo is telling me now. The puzzle pieces finally fit and I nod. "You guys are always going to be a part of me," I say, and realize how cheesy it sounds. Raph hits his forehead with his palm. "Guys, your cheesiness is giving me lactose intolerance, I swear," he groans.

"Yes, I think you've gotten it," Leo tells me. "And I also think I understand Master Splinter. I think that the old chap wants you to be trained in the art of Ninjitsu."

"SAY WHAT NOW?"

Raph shrugs. "You have the fighting spirit, kid," he tells me. "Donny told us the reason why you kids were so knocked up. Waited for each other, eh?"

"But, but, but," I stammer and shake my head. This is all wrong. "But I'm not fit for that kind of training. I mean, I'm already horrible enough in PE. I'm just a stay-at-home kid, a read-a-book-ever-Friday-night-kid. Seriously guys, Ninjitsu is _not_ me." I cross my arms over my skin-bearing tank top. "And all these," I say, willing my voice not to crack. "This isn't really me, guys. If you see some hot chick who seems pretty sociable and looks like she'll make a great Ninja student, I swear, this is all just a façade. I'm not worthy."

Leo and Raph stay quiet for a few seconds after I talk. I realize that I have just poured my heart out to these two guys in a dark, crowded, Halloween party. They don't seem mad that the whole time, they've probably been seeing a different girl in me, and I badly hope that they stay un-mad.

But now I see the entire picture. I've been feeling bad about my "new self" because my "new self" isn't my real self. I am a fraud, a fake. I fooled people into thinking I was a different kind of Nikki. And I had just fooled the Ninja Turtles into thinking I was Ninja-material.

My eyes sting and I turn away from my friends. Why am I even at this party? Why aren't I at home, safe with my fanfics and books?

I feel a hand touch my shoulder. "You know," says Raph. "A façade ain't all that bad."

He pats my back and makes me face them once more. I blink, hoping that the room is too dark for them to see the tears that escaped. "Huh? What do you mean?" I ask.

"Ninjas are called Shadow Warriors for a reason, aren't they?" Leo says, his voice comforting. "I can see your real personality, Nikki, and I can see that you've covered yourself up in this 'new self', thinking that you can change who you really are. But you're perfect just the way you are. You have the right values, friends you can rely on, and you have the fighting spirit of the Ninja. You don't need to change your _whole _personality."

I sniffle. I suddenly feel like the little kid I was back then, the little girl in pigtails who sat eagerly in front of the TV every afternoon, waiting patiently for TMNT to be aired. "So why again are Ninjas called Shadow Warriors?" I ask.

"Because they adapt to their environment. They hide from their enemies in the shadows, pretending not to be there when they actually are. They put on a camouflage, a shadow to shroud themselves in so that their enemy never suspects that they will attack," Raph says. "But they never forget who they really are. They never forget who they are under their façade, under their camouflage. They're still the same person."

"Ninjitsu is in you, Nikki," Leo says. "See? You even have a natural talent at camouflage. You blend right in this crowd."

I look around the room. People are bobbing their heads to the music of _Fall Out Boy_, some are jumping, holding their drinks up. Others are standing off, eating candy from the candy buffet. At first, I think that what Leo means is that I blend right in, I am unnoticeable. But then I realize that he really does mean that I blend in. I can adapt to any environment. I am noticeable, my friends from my school wave at me as they pass me by.

"Just because of my camouflage?" I ask.

Raph shakes his head, and Leo speaks again. "You have the fighting spirit of a warrior. You never want to be caught, that's why you adapt to your environment, and you also never want to lose in a fight. You stand your ground. You never leave your friends behind."

I glance down at my boots. By friends, he meant two sets of people. My friends, Lindsey and Austin, who I didn't leave at the alleyway; and the Turtles themselves. Just today, I had started watching TMNT again. I came back to them.

"A true ninja isn't made up of muscles and strength," Leo says.

" – Though that would be really great – " Raph interrupts. Leo glares at him. "Anyway, what I was saying. A true ninja possesses a great attitude, trueness to themselves despite the changing environment that they have to deal with. You have great potential, Nikki. Just don't forget your real self."

The beat of the rock song and the screaming of the people around me seem to melt into a singular hum as I absorb what the two turtles have just told me. "Thanks, guys," I say.

All of a sudden, the _Fall Out Boy _song quiets down and so does the crowd of rowdy teenagers. A slow song begins to play; I later recognize it to be _A Moment Like This_ by _Kelly Clarkson_.

A hand taps my shoulder. "May I have this dance, m'lady?" I stifle an un-lady-like laugh as I spin around to face Donatello.

"Why, of course you may," I reply and take his hand. I glance at Leo and Raph, who nod and shrug as if to tell me to go on. Donatello and I move onto the dance floor. Couples dance around us, swaying to the music. I can't see Lindsay and Austin but I am pretty sure that they are dancing, too.

"You seem pretty tense," Donatello notes as he slips his hand around my waist. Butterflies flutter in my stomach. I am nervous. I am excited. I feel slightly crazy. I am dancing with my childhood ninjitsu idol.

"I'm sorry," I manage to say, and take a breath. I force the tension out of my shoulders.

"Did my brothers tell you about the ninjitsu training thing?" Donny asks. He jerks his head in the direction of Leo and Raph, who are still standing awkwardly by the corner.

"Yeah they did." I swallow as Donny spins me a little. Everything tonight has just happened so fast. It started out as a night that I have been looking forward to, a night that gave me a queasy stomach whenever my mind flew to it – my first high school party. But apparently, it turned out to be much, _much_ more.

"So, um, when do I start?"

"You could start this weekend, if you're free. A once-a-week schedule would be fine, until you can progress to a tougher training schedule." Donny must have seen my nervous face, as he quickly offers a smile.

This weekend…my first ninjitsu training? Wow. And to think that a few years ago, I had only been dreaming of a day like this.

"You alright?" Donatello interrupts my thoughts. Concern clouds his reptilian eyes. He stops swaying for a second and grips my wrist. "It's been a crazy night for you. If you want to just sit down – " he starts to lead me towards an empty couch, but I stop him.

His hand feels cold against my arm – turtles _are_ cold-blooded – and when he turns to face me, I notice for the first time that he isn't as short as depicted on TV. _A crazy night indeed, _I think. Donatello. Right in front of me. A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. My childhood hasn't lied to me.

"No, I'm fine," I say and pull him back to the dance floor.

"You sure?" he asks, but a small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. I nod and we begin our awkward dance again. But I try not to mind. I have always been the awkward girl, the nerd, the comic book geek. I have always been, and will always be. But what the shell is wrong with that? Tonight, I will let that side of me shine.

'I can't believe I'm slow dancing with a fairy," Donny muses.

"Well I can't believe that I'm dancing with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!" I laugh. "You guys…it's always been my geeky secret…being a TMNT-obsessed girl."

"A secret?" Donny asks. "Why a secret?"

With all the confessions from this night, I am surprised when this question seems the hardest. The music plays on for a few more bars before I come to an answer.

I shake my head, smiling. "I was wrong. Once a turtle fan, always a turtle fan."

Donny winces. "That's pretty cheesy. I like to think logically, remember?"

We both laugh and keep dancing. The music plays on.

But I'm serious about the "once a fan, always a fan" thing. Because after all of tonight's events, I've surely learned one thing: you can never deny your turtle-obsession forever. Once you leave your heart in the Turtle's sewer, it stays there forever.

_**A/N:**_** So how did you guys like it? Would you agree with Raph about the cheesiness of this chapter? Haha, please do click that review button, I would love to hear from you! I hope you guys stick around for the epilogue! We all would want to see Nikki's reaction to ninjitsu training, right? :)**


	4. Epilogue: A Story to Share

**A/N: **_**Hey everyone! Here's the long-overdue epilogue of my story! Sorry it took so long! School has been getting in the way of my writing schedule :(**_

_**In reply to the guest, **__**RandomNinja: Thank you for still reading though! It means a lot to me! Hope you stick around for this chapter, and if time permits me to, the (possible) sequel fanfic!**_

_**Thank you so much to**_

_**grapejuice101**_** for favouriting!**

_**FilmGeek-BookNerd12**_** for reviewing!**

**I hope I haven't forgotten to thank everyone!**

**DISCLAIMER: **_**I do not own the Turtles!**_

"HIYAA!" I narrowly miss Donatello's incoming kick as I stumble backwards and crouch down. His leg swings above me, right where my head was supposed to be if I hadn't dodged the deadly attack. Ouch, I think.

"Get up, Nikki! Don't stay immobile for too long," Donatello mentors. His voice comes out louder now that we are in the middle of a sparring session. There is none of the kindness that I had seen in him at the party a month ago. He is all lean and mean now; a ninja turtle, a dangerous killing machine.

"Yeah, okay," I manage to spit out. I stand up again. My legs shake and my breath quickens.

"Don't stay immobile for too long. The enemy could pounce on your falling adrenaline." Donatello moves closer, arms up in a stance that signifies he is ready to punch.

I put my hands up defensively too, our eyes meeting. I breathe in, imagining my strength coming up to me from the floor; potential energy travelling from the floor and into the muscles in my legs. "HA!" I shout and will myself into action. Energy burns up through my legs and up into my thigh. I twist into a side kick and watch as Donatello's eyes enlarge.

He jumps out of the way at the last minute but my foot grazes his abdomen. "Whoa, you're getting stronger," Don notices, his hand clutching his left side.

"That was just a teaser," I quip and wipe the sweat off my brow. I take a deep breath before launching into a series of punching and kicking combinations that I had learned over the past four weeks of training in the sewer. I know I probably don't look very much like a ninja, but I do _feel _like one, and according to Donny, sometimes, that is better.

Donny manages to miss every single kick and punch I throw, not to my surprise, but he does launch an attack much earlier than I have expected. As I throw my left fist at his face, he deflects my punch and grabs my incoming right arm. With this leverage, he twists me around so that my back is to him, my arm twisted painfully and unnaturally. "Ouch, ouch, ouch," I wince. "Okay, I give up! You can stop now!"

Donatello pulls harder, his grip tighter. "Ninjas don't just give up."

Adrenaline courses through me again. "Donny!" I twist back around, doing my best to resist his arm strength. "I'm a freaking _novice_ ninja! Have freaking mercy on me, I beg of you."

"PIZZA!" Mickey calls from the living room. Donny tenses against me for a split-second before finally letting go of me.

"If I break any of my bones…" I begin to threaten Don. I shake my head and wince as pain shoots up my shoulder and back.

Don chuckles. "If you break any of your bones," he says teasingly. "Then I'll tend to them."

I stick my tongue out at him before heading over to the living room to greet Mickey and the rest of the turtles.

"Pizza for the ninjas!" Mickey announces as I walk in. He has a slice of pizza in one hand and one of Leo's katanas in his other hand.

"Guys, have you seen my other katana?" Leo asks, walking hurriedly into the room. Mickey quickly gulps and shoves his hand behind his back. Raph smirks and shakes his head. "No, I haven't Leo. But maybe Mickey would know," the red-masked turtle says.

Donny guides me towards a couch and we sit side-by-side, chewing on pepperoni pizza while watching Mickey and Leo fight over the weapon.

I find myself smiling. In less than a month, the sewer has become sort of like my second home. Coming here after school thrice-a-week has become my regular routine (along with getting beaten-up thrice-a-week by the turtles). It had all been just a childhood obsession not too long ago, yet now, it was more than that.

This entire thing, this fantasy of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…everything was actually real. And I was a part of it.

"Don," I suddenly say. An idea hits me, and I set my pizza down on a plate that sits on an old coffee table.

"Yeah?" he asks, turning to me. It is a bit unsettling to stare into his all-white pupils, but over the month, I have gotten used to it.

I swallow to keep the idea in my head from bursting out my mouth as what usually happens when I get nervous. "What do you guys think of fanfiction?"

Donny scratches his head. "Um, what's that?" he asks. For once, the smart turtle has no idea.

"OW! YOU DIDN'T NEED TO HIT ME THAT HARD!" Mickey's voice echoes throughout the sewer.

"Serves you right for getting what isn't yours without permission," Leo scolds.

I blink and shake my head. "Um, okay…anyway. Fanfiction, Donny, is fiction written by fans."

"Like a story?" he asks, gaining more interest.

"Yes, something like that," I reply. "What do you think of my story going up for the world to see?"

Donny smiles, melting my heart a bit. I admit, I have always rather had a small thing for him. "That sounds cool. What story?"

I shrug. "This story. About meeting you guys."

Donny takes another bite and glances at his brothers. Mickey is covering up a wound that he had accidentally gotten from Leo's katana (Leo didn't hit him on purpose); Raph is on the couch opposite us, a rare moment of silence shrouds him as he reads comic books; Leo is stuffing pizza in his mouth, no doubt in a hurry to get back to watching Space Heroes.

"Why not?" Donny finally says.

"It's not like I'm giving off any clue about you guys really being…_real_, or anything," I say tentatively, my fingers nervously playing with the hem of my T-shirt. "I just think that this experience is really one-of-a-kind."

"Yes, I think we'll be fine as long as you don't drop clues that are too big about our existence," Donny assures me. "So, this _fanfic_ that you're going to write about us…what are you gonna call it?"

I bite my lip. I'm not sure actually. What will I call it? I-Magically-Meet-the-Turtles? Eeew, well, that's pretty lame. Ninja Girl. No. Pizza with theTurtles. No.

"Your eyebrows are furrowing up. I see the gears turning in your head," Don teases.

"I'm sorry, but not everyone can think as quickly as you can, Smarty!"

"Okay, okay," Don laughs and puts his three-fingered hands up. "Go on and think about it first. I'll just get another slice. I'll be right back."

He leaves my side, and I look down at my muddy Converse, the dirt sticking to the cloth a result from night-jogging to enhance my training.

Ambush in the Alleyway? Nope. Fiction to Reality? Naawwp. Slowdancing with Donatello. Um…no. I have a feeling the techie-Turtle wouldn't be too fond of that.

I sigh. Just as I take another bite from my pizza, the perfect title comes into my head. Of course, it sums up this whole experience!

"Confessions of a Turtle-Obsessed Teenage Girl," I say aloud, trying it on for size. This experience surely did bring out my old obsession, forcing me to make my confession: I was never going to get over the turtles' awesome-ness. I didn't plan to, either.

"Have you thought of one yet?" Donatello asks as he settles next to me again.

I nod. "Yup!" I reply. "Though I don't really know now, if this would fall under fan_fiction_, seeing that it isn't entirely a fictional story."

And I make a mental note to get on my laptop ASAP and start the fanfic. (Well, considering I get home early from ninjitsu training)

**A/N: **_**So that's it! The epilogue to Confessions of a Turtle-Obsessed Teenage Girl! Hope you guys liked and enjoyed this story as much as I loved and enjoyed writing it! Despite what the story says, this is ENTIRELY fictional. (Creys, I wish the turtles really did exist though. That would be so cool) Please do tell me what you think! Please click that review button! I would love to hear from you guys!**_

_**And probably, just probably, I plan to write a sequel fanfic to this one! Any suggestions are welcome! Tell me in your reviews! **_

_**Thank you so much guys! :D**_


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